And now, since I'm on a roll with awesome pairings, have some Suzuka/Arisa!!
Spoiler for Arisa/Suzuka:
Nanoha smiled to herself as the cool air Arisa's business lobby brushed across her. The sliding glass doors slid closed behind her and she walked across the white tile floor to the receptionist who was currently on the phone. 'I wonder what was so important that she asked me to come visit her as soon as I could?' Her clear blue eyes looked up at the ceiling a moment while giving the woman behind the desk time to finish the phone call. 'She normally gives me at least a few months notice for reunions. I hope no one is hurt or anything...'
"Can I help you?" The woman finally addressed Nanoha
"I'm here to see Arisa." Nanoha told her polity.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No ma'am, I'm her friend, she asked me to stop by." She got an odd look. "No, really, we grew up together. My name's Nanoha Takamachi, could you page her?"
"I'm sorry, she has asked not to be disturbed. I can't allow you in without an appointment."
Nanoha sighed. "Please, could you just page her and say my name-"
"I'm sorry, please make an appointment. I can pencil you in but it will have to be next week in the afternoon."
Nanoha groaned. "I can only stay for the night, I have to get back to base." Taking out her military ID, she showed the lady. "I don't have time to-"
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Nanoha almost fell over, realizing it was in a different language. "I'm sorry, just-"
"Please leave if you are not going to make an appointment."
The normally calm girl placed both hands on the desk. "Now see here!"
Calmly picking up the phone, the secretary pushed a button. "Security? I have someone here who refuses to leave... thank you."
Nanoha growled, turning and walking to the elevator and pushing the top floor button where she knew Arisa's office was. A few demands for her to return were ignored and by the time two rent-a-cops came around the corner, the doors closed and she was on her way up.
'Stupid lazy intern.' Nanoha thought bitterly. 'I have to pull every single favor I can to just be able to get here for twelve hours and she wastes my time...' As the doors opened, she trotted to the office door that held Arisa's name on a golden frame and knocked on it.
"Who is it?" An annoyed voice greeted her through the intercom.
Nanoha couldn't help but smile. "House keeping, I'm here to fluff your pillow."
"...What?"
"I'm here to fluff your pillow! You know, a little bit of this, maybe a little bit of that"
"... Nanoha?"
"Hi Arisa-chan! I came to- oh man, security is here, please tell them that I'm your friend." Before she could continue she turned to the people and put a hand on her hip. "I'm telling you, leave me alone."
"Miss, come with me." Reaching over, he grabbed Nanoha's shoulder hard, jerking her forward.
Reflex took over and Nanoha shifted her weight, grabbing the man's wrist and slinging him over her shoulder. Her sharp eyes noticed the other man reaching for pepper spray so she lashed her foot out, knocking his hand away before continuing her spin and round housing him.
Arisa opened the door quickly, looking in shock as two of her employees were scrambling to get up. "Nanoha, what the-?"
"He grabbed me," she sniffed. "I didn't mean to, it just... I'm sorry, I just got off a really hard mission and I'm a little jumpy from it..." She bowed to the men from behind Arisa. "I'm sorry.
"She's military, and my best friend," Arisa told them sternly. "Apologize to her."
The two men looked like whipped puppies. "S-sorry miss..."
Turning, Arisa ushered Nanoha inside her office. "I'm so glad you could come! I need you so bad right now..."
"What's wrong?" Closing the door behind herself, Nanoha walked into the large office, glancing around at the decorations that made her remember just how much of a tsundare Arisa really was.
"I need your help!" The blonde suddenly shouted.
"Wha...what...?"
"How did..." Looking down, she suddenly became embarrassed. "How did... you propose to Fate?"
A slow smile steadily crept up on Nanoha's lips, making Arisa turn and glare at the floor, cheeks burning.
[x] Approach with caution hold your device close and pray you instinctively know how to use it.
Alas since we didn't think to make any spells earlier and since, lest we waste time now and let "ping" pass us by, we have no time now we just have to dive in.
Man, y'all got no guts.
[JE] Investigate Immediately! + RED NINE: Activate spell formula "Temporal Force Field". If there is going to be a fight, then better no civilians know about it, period. ...You do know what T.F.F. is right, Red?
That and Red Nine specifically stated that his master is responsible for creating his spells and techniques, and that Red Nine can only help him utilize them...
It should make for awesome hilarity. Besides, genius tends to strike in life or death situations with this sort of lackadaisical character, and worse comes to worse, this CYOA is on easy mode anyways with reloads. Chillax, folks.
However, this is just the first stage. Wait till the Boss. Or Extra stage >:3
As long as we can reload, I could care less what difficulty it is. There is no tension when you'll just slap us on the wrist with a bad end and tell us to go back a couple choices. So I say, ONWARD!
She eats two helpings of everything Lindy cooks, making the green-haired woman smile; it is no secret that the two have become close since Chrono and Fate moved out of the house and started living on their own. They never talk much at the table; more like Arf talks and talks about whatever’s on her mind, and Lindy just listens.
Breakfast is finished in about half an hour, and after saying goodbye to Lindy Arf walks to the Library to help Yuuno.
As she walks, a dull ache begins to develop in her chest.
By the time she reaches the Library, Arf feels achy all over, with a pounding headache and grainy eyes. She’s no stranger to pain, though, and resolutely pushes it aside to focus on her usual tasks; arranging books, checking for information, and other tasks she’s done ever since Fate stopped needing her on the battlefield.
She stumbles over her own feet once or twice, but pays it no mind. If her hands tremble slightly or her vision blurs, she chalks it up to that late night date she had with Zafira. Exhaustion must be getting the better of her, is all.
When she trips for the fifth time that day, Yuuno frowns in confusion. Noticing his worried look, she glances at him and smirks. “What?”
“Are you okay, Arf? You’ve been acting kind of weird all day.”
Arf shrugs and puts another book into place on the shelf.
“I’m just tired. Nothing I’m not used to.”
Her hands tremble as she says this, and she quietly curls them into fists to still them. Yuuno’s frown deepens and he steps across the Library, kneeling down and placing his hand on her forehead. Arf growls slightly, but otherwise allows him to do it.
After several minutes, he pulls his hand away. “You feel kind of warm.”
Arf resists the urge to roll her eyes.
Yuuno gives her a quiet look.
Arf wilts.
“Fine, fine.” She resists the urge to kick the ground, feeling like a scolded child. “I’ll go home, all right? I’ll go home and rest like a good little girl.”
Yuuno smiles, and Arf resists the urge to bite him.
She’s taken to the hospital, but no one can explain why she isn’t waking up, at least not without the opinion of a skilled doctor. All they can figure is that she’s fallen into a deep coma, and it occurred sometime yesterday.
No one knows when she’ll wake up.
Lindy contacts Fate, and gets her voicemail. She explains the situation and tells her that it’s okay, she doesn’t have to come home right away. Everyone’s holding up, supporting Arf, and she can finish whatever she needs to finish.
Arf blinks and looks at Precia. This is a Precia she’s never known; a woman with a gentle smile and kind eyes, a woman who is sure of herself and relaxed. It makes her a little nervous, but her body is too warm, she’s too sleepy. She doesn’t feel like moving.
“I felt tired.” Precia continues as if Arf responded to her, smiling slightly. “I always felt so tired.” She looks down at Arf.
Her body is so warm, too warm. She’s sleepy; too sleepy.
Arf slips deeper into her coma; she now requires help to breathe. Fate sits by her side everyday, watching her and waiting for some sign, any sign, that will give her a clue as to what’s wrong with her familiar.
Three days later, they find it.
“Very simply, her time has run out.”
Fate blinks at that. She created Arf herself; she doesn’t remember ever setting a specific time limit for her to exist. Very slowly she shifts in her chair, and when she speaks her voice is soft and calm, though there is an edge to it that wasn’t there before.
“I don’t understand what you mean. Arf’s been with me for as long as I can remember. She was never supposed to fade away.”
The doctor sighs.
“It isn’t that simple, Officer Harlaown. I wish it was.” He flips open his folder. “You have to understand, familiars are very delicate creatures. They need someone to need them. In essence, they need to feel valuable to the person who created them, useful.”
“Arf is useful!”
“To you?”
Fate blinks again.
“I’ve read her records, Officer Harlaown. She hasn’t assisted you in combat for years. Didn’t it ever occur to you what kind of effect that’d have on her?”
“She’s happy helping Yuuno and Mom! She’s never complained even once!”
The doctor sighs.
“That’s just it. She doesn’t complain, but her body—the way she’s built—does. She might be perfectly happy doing what she’s doing, but she’s been built to serve you, and now she isn’t. Even if her mind accepts it, her body can’t.”
“… This is awkward. I never thought it would be. Because, you know, all those movies I watched on Earth with Nanoha always made this seem like the easiest way to bring someone back from a coma, right? Hahaha…”
…
“The… he told me. Why you’re shutting down. I… I wish I could help you, Arf… if I was nine again, I’m sure I could find a way to help you.”
…
“You just… don’t die, okay? Please? Because… I know I’m not using you for fighting or anything much anymore, but… I still need you. I need you a lot. I know I never said that, but I do. I probably wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for you…”
…
“So… so wake up soon, okay? Okay, Arf? Because… because I miss you. I love you, and I miss you. So please… wake up soon.
Arf closes her eyes and Precia fades away, and now she’s seeing Fate; the little girl, the child who won her heart. The girl reaches for her, gently pats her on the head—
--and becomes a full grown woman, a woman who no longer needs her; not the way she used to, never again like she used to.
Another session between myself and RadiantBeam (which will most likely be slowing down with her in school and myself going back to work night shifts) is done. Yes, this is also part of the "Relationships" series.
This one... Kinda got away on us.
This is our longest one yet.
Nove, Wendi and Subaru get some time to shine.
Especially Nove.
Chapter 3 of "Day in the Life" is titled...
"Nakajima"
Spoiler for Nakajima:
It was a beautiful day on Midchilda. The sun was shining, a few white clouds in the sky, and people were out walking around in the shopping district. Most were simply out shopping, others on business, and some for pleasure. All-in-all, it was a normal day.
Out particular were two redheads. One had fairly long red hair pinned against the back of her head, making it stand up in a reverse ponytail. She was wearing blue pants and a light brown shirt that showed off her body and had others casually looking at her. She was grinning and smiling as she went from one place to another, acting like a happy child just out for a stroll.
The other redhead was a bit shorter and had a small frown on her face, not from being unhappy, it just seemed to be glued there. She also had shorter hair that framed her face and amber eyes that followed her companions movements, mostly to make sure that she kept out of trouble. She was wearing a black shirt with knee-length blue shorts that showed off her curves but didn't hug her body nearly as much as her companion's did.
"Oooh! How about that one?" The taller redhead of the duo smiled as she pointed out a rather cute article of clothing as she walked by the clothing store.
"Wendi, no..." The shorter one groaned in dismay. "Just because Nanoha and Fate are pregnant doesn't mean you should try to get all the cute baby clothes." Seeing Wendi pout and slump, Nove raised her hands up to try and get her sister to snap out of her mood. "Hey! Come on. We should at least wait until we know if they're going to have boys or girls." She sighed as Wendi lit up in realization.
"Hey, Nove..."
"Hmm?"
"Can you imagine what Nanoha's children will be like?" Wendi had a contemplative look on her face as she grinned and rubbed her hands together. It was all she could do to stop from cackling madly and getting people to look at her weirdly.
Nove shook her head, she really couldn't. Although considering how Vivio was with Nanoha as a mother, the shorter redhead could only guess to any future children Nanoha would have.
It was too bad Deici wasn't there. She would have fallen to the ground and twitched. Getting nailed with a blaster-boosted buster really frightened her. The thought of children sharing Nanoha's genes? Madness, sheer madness.
Wendi grinned and leaned in, lowering her voice. "Can you imagine how powerful those kids will be?"
Nove blinked. "Powerful?"
"Think about it! Nanoha is the White Devil, Fate's a top Enforcer, and Yuuno is one of the best defensive mages out there! Not to mention how smart he is..."
Wendi just shuddered at the thought of it, whether it was out of fear or something else, Nove couldn't tell.
Nove blinked again. "... What does that have to do with their kids?"
"Are you even thinking?! With genes like those, can you imagine what those kids will be like? Plus, they have Vivio as an older sister!" Nove could swear that Wendi was practically gleeful at the thought. Then again, Wendi did like to blow stuff up, so maybe it was related to that.
Wendi shuddered again.
Nove blinked a third time. Seriously, she felt like she was missing something here.
"You know genetics doesn't determine everything."
"True but... OOOH!"
Nove blinked as Wendi ran off. "What the... Woah!" Her eyes widened as she saw the same thing. "Dieci would LOVE that."
On the other side of the window the two were staring into were several paintball guns, protective gear, and other knick-knacks.
"Should we?" Wendi's eyes sparkled as she smirked at Nove, who pouted.
"We'd need either Ginga, Subaru or dad to buy them for us." Nove muttered, knowing that she and her other sisters weren't allowed to make any large purchases. It wasn't a big deal, but at times like this, it did get annoying. Probation sucked.
Wendi nodded and sighed. "I know, but we were asking for it, considering what we did."
Nove rolled her eyes and snorted. She didn't like to think about what she did. Though she was surprised that Subaru, Ginga and Teana were so willing to be family and friends with her after the way she had treated them.
"ACK!" She jumped as Wendi ruffled her hair. "Wendi!"
"You were thinking about that. Come on! Let's keep going." Nove sighed and followed her excitable sister. Still, it was nice that Wendi tried to keep her from thinking about the past too much.
Still...
Nove didn't understand why Wendi was so obssessed with Fate and Nanoha being pregnant.
As she watched Wendi go around looking at various baby stuff, giggling and smiling as she saw young children, Nove groaned and decided to finally bite the bullet. "Wendi, just why are you so obsessed? You aren't the one having a baby. Hell, you aren't even seeing anyone." Not to mention that it was still weeks away before anyone would be able to know any real details.
The taller of the two stopped and looked at her, slightly depressed. "I... I guess I just wanna prove that I'm a nice person."
"Uh, Wendi, you're the nicest of all of your sisters." Nove said with a small sweat-drop. Well, if she thought about it, Deed, Otto and Sein were probably nicer than Wendi, but not by much. Nove really didn't consider herself to be a nice person, she was just lucky that their father pulled so many strings so that she could be with her sisters. Her eyes widened as she was hugged. "Gah!"
"Thanks, but..." Wendi let her go and tapped her chin. "I guess it's just that I've never really seen a little kid other than Vivio... I'm just looking forward to seeing more."
Nove frowned. "What do you mean? Vivio was really small when the Doctor made her."
"Well, yeah, but... she was already five or six by then. I've never really seen a baby before." Wendi shrugged. "What can I say? It excites me."
Nove shook her head. She really didn't understand Wendi getting so excited. Though, now that she thought about it, so was Cinque, though she was playfully buying small eye-patches. "We can play pirates when they get older." She joked. Subaru was all gushing over the fact that her hero was having a baby, which was probably understandable, considering that small shrine Subaru had to her in the one of the spare closets.
Okay, so it was just a few pictures, still felt like a shrine in her opinion.
Dieci twitched every time Nanoha having children came up. Nove still felt kind of bad that she had actually laughed lightly when her sister had passed out in shock when she heard about that.
Nove was probably the only person on Midchilda that really couldn't figure out how she felt about the two legendary aces being pregnant at the same time.
Sometimes, Nove felt that if anything, people should be pitying Yuuno. The thought of one of the Aces being pregnant was scary enough; the reality that two of them were pregnant, and that the father was actually involved in the situation...
Well, it made Nove wonder sometimes how Yuuno even dealt with it. The poor man was either suffering at the hands of their tempers or being jumped in public.
Not that being jumped seemed like something he minded, per say, but... still, it was in public.
She would know, she had seen the pictures in all the various papers. It was the reason that she had stopped reading any magazine or newspaper these days.
She nearly jumped three feet in the air as Wendi tapped her shoulder. "What?"
"I was calling your name for ten minutes now." She pointed down the street, a familiar short blue haired teenager dressed in black shorts and a white and black t-shirt waved happily as she ran up to the two redheads.
"Subaru." Nove blinked a couple of times. That was another thing she wasn't sure how to feel about her other sister. On one hand, she still wanted to hit Subaru for badly hurting Cinque at times, but she just couldn't muster the energy to do so. On the other hand, she was just grateful that Subaru didn't hold a grudge against her, Wendi or Cinque for what they did to Ginga. Getting the beating of a lifetime once was bad enough, she didn't want it a second time.
"Nove! Wendi!" Subaru smiled at her sisters. "How are you two?"
Nove shrugged. "Can't complain," she said. "Wendi dragged me out shopping."
Subaru looked at Wendi curiously. Wendi grinned in response and wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders.
"Baby shopping," she said easily. "For Nanoha and Fate. Plus, you know, just looking at stuff on the side."
Subaru's eyes lit up at that, she couldn't help it. Even with things going the way they were with Teana, she still idolized Nanoha.
Groaning, the shorter redhead was dragged along further as Wendi and Subaru went off looking at cute clothes and other baby items. Am I the only one not going crazy? She wondered while following them. She really wasn't paying attention to anything, just making sure that she wasn't left behind or lost them. While she could take care of herself, she really didn't like the thought of being by herself because she lost count where they were.
"Nove!" Subaru's voice cut into her thoughts as she looked from the building to where she was being called and blinked as Subaru offered her an ice-cream cone with a smile.
"Ah... Thanks." She said with a faint blush on her cheeks. She wasn't too used to situations like this. Random kindness wasn't something she was too used to dealing with.
Subaru giggled and grinned at her sister. "Silly Nove was looking upset and I thought she needed some ice-cream." It usually worked on Teana to get her to calm down when she got upset. Not to mention Ginga and herself, though Subaru was never too upset too often to begin with.
Nove blinked; even if she didn't smile, her eyes seemed to soften somewhat. "Uh, thanks," she murmured, taking a lick. It was surprisingly good, or maybe not, considering it was Subaru that got it. They had an extra large freezer back at the house with several gallons of ice-cream that all had her name on it.
Subaru grinned, dropping down on a nearby bench. "So... you two were baby shopping? Does Nanoha-san even know about it?"
Nove swallowed a mouthful of ice cream. "Wendi doesn't even know if they'll have boys or girls, and she was looking at clothes."
Subaru snorted at that, why was she not surprised? Honestly, she was trying to fight back laughter at the situation. She blinked as a thought came to her. "Actually, doesn't Hayate have a betting pool where you can guess the gender?"
"Yeah, and how many they'll have."
"Made any bets, Nove?" Subaru pouted as Nove shook her head. "Why not?"
Nove was quiet for awhile. "...I... Don't know..." She sighed. "I can't really feel any strong emotions about it."
Subaru blinked a few times before she tapped her chin. "Well... Maybe you need to spend some time around some children?"
Nove's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No thank you! Vivio pestering me for training is more than enough."
Wendi shrugged as she came over to them, catching that last bit of conversation. "Well, they say that some people don't take to children."
Nove groaned.
Ignoring her sister, Wendi turned back to Subaru with a grin. "What are you betting on, Subaru?"
Subaru smirked. "Which pool?"
"Don't do that. I know you have a hand in both of them."
"Am I that obvious?" She laughed as Wendi nodded at her. "I'm betting that Fate will have a girl and Nanoha will have twins."
Nove's eyes widened. "Don't let Dieci hear you say that." She'd probably pass out with shock. Actually, the thought was a little frightening. Vivio was pretty crazy at times just by herself. She couldn't imagine the thought of a bunch of mini-Vivios running around. No, wait, she could. Suddenly the mental image of hundreds of chibi-Vivios running with crazed looks in their eyes, a dust cloud behind them, entered her mind. That wouldn't be so bad if they weren't all trying to fire a Starlight Breaker at the same time. She went back to eating her ice-cream. The last thing she needed was to pass out in fear.
Subaru laughed. "Nah, she'll pass out when we get the first scans in. Shamal wants to know too."
Wendi grinned. "If Nanoha has twins, I bet you'll volunteer to be a babysitter." Considering how much of a work-a-holic Nanoha was at times, Wendi felt it would be a safe bet that she would get back to work the first chance she could get.
"If I'm around, sure." Subaru smiled at her sister, it was a little strained though, since they both knew Subaru would rather be at home with her family at times. Even if she enjoyed going out and saving people, there was just something nice about being at home. "What about you, Wendi? What are you betting on?"
Nove groaned. "Oh, don't get her started."
Wendi simply grinned. "I bet they'll both have twins, boy and girl each. And I bet for Fate, the girl will look exactly like her."
Nove blinked as a thought occurred to her. "Has Hayate made a pool for the names?"
Subaru nodded.
"Why am I not surprised?" Nove muttered.
"Because dad keeps bringing up the different betting pools all the time?"
"Thanks, Wendi, I have no idea what I'd do without you." Nove said sarcastically and licked at her ice-cream a bit more.
"Aww, you know you love me." Wendi grinned and ruffled Nove's hair, getting the other redhead to lightly glare at her.
Nove grumbled before looking at Subaru. "Actually... Subaru, we saw something that I know that Dieci, Vivio, maybe even Cinque would enjoy. But..."
"It's a little bit more than we're allowed to buy..." Wendi had an embarrassed look on her face.
Subaru laughed. "Okay, okay. Just point it out for me."
Wendi grabbed Subaru and hugged her tightly. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Wendi!" Nove admonished. "We're in public for crying out loud!"
"So?" Wendi didn't let go. "We're family, so it's okay!"
"It's okay, I don't mind hugging her." Subaru grinned with her arms around Wendi's body.
Nove didn't say anything but turned and went back to eating the remainder of her ice-cream.
Her sisters blinked and let go, looking at Nove. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't know what to think about what's happening right now, okay?"
The two blinked, looked at each other and grinned. "Hey, Nove..."
She turned to them, blinking at the grins on their faces. "You know what you need?"
"What? Ack!" She yelped as she was picked up and carried off by her sisters. "Hey! What's the big idea!?"
"Well, I think Nove needs some time to get pampered." Wendi smirked at Subaru.
"Oh yes. Every time I see her, Nove always has a small frown on her face." Blinking, the redhead tried to refute those words, but was stopped as she was put down in front of a building. "So..." Subaru grinned. "Nove is going to go inside and have the massage guys work her body over."
"But, um, I'm a cyborg... I think it would be a little hard for them to..."
Wendi grinned. "You kidding? I went here last month. Man, these guys are great!"
Nove seemed to pale slightly. "Do... Do I really have to?"
Subaru shrugged. "Either that or I can sic Nanoha-san and Fate-san on you. Or tell Yuuno-san that you want to train with him..."
At that, Nove and Wendi both blinked.
"Yuuno?"
"He trains?"
"On occasion." She admitted. "He helped me out awhile back with some new techniques I was learning." She grimaced. "Believe me when I say that he knows his stuff." Being swung around because chain hooked her shorts was NOT something she liked to remember. Fixing that wedgie took her awhile, mostly because she had a hard time relaxing her muscles. She didn't mind the ride, she just wished that it hadn't been during training. "Besides, Nove, you should give these guys a chance. They know what they're doing."
Nove was silent before sighing. "Fine..." It couldn't hurt, could it? Besides, if the people inside couldn't do anything, well, at least she gave it a chance.
Two hours later Nove was both out cold and a quivering mass of flesh as her sisters came back from their shopping trip, having only a few items, including the large paintball set.
Wendi blinked and looked at the therapist. "Is she... Going to be okay?"
He nodded while flexing his hands. The man was average height, short brown hair and wore light gray pants and a white shirt. "Oh yes. She just had the WORST knots in her muscles."
Subaru smirked at him. "You didn't molest her while we were away did you?"
He laughed at her. "Not at all. My lover would kill me if I did that while on the job. Your sister has some powerful leg and rear-end muscles though, I'm impressed."
"Just charge the Nakajima account." Subaru said to him as she went to wake up Nove. "How long has she been asleep?"
"About twenty minutes or so."
"Nove... Wake up..."
"Nnngh? But I don't wanna learn about mass-based weapons, I wanna sleep more, Cinque..." She muttered out drowsily and shifted from her side onto her back.
Subaru chuckled. "You might not wanna say that in public. Wake up, Nove." Her redheaded sister looked so cute at that moment that Subaru actually didn't want to wake her up. But this was a massage parlor, not a place to get sleep.
Nove groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked groggily and slowly tilted her head back to look up at Subaru. "Mommy? Is that you?"
Subaru blinked and scratched her head. "Uh... No... I'm not your mommy..."
Nove blinked a few times before seemingly getting depressed. "Oh... Sorry, Subaru..." She muttered as her mind caught up to what was going on. "You looked like someone else for a moment."
Subaru frowned as Nove got up and walked to the door. "Hey! Nove... Are you... You okay?"
"I'll be fine." She said softly, causing both Wendi and Subaru to look at each other in worry and confusion.
Subaru frowned. "Hey, Wendi..."
"Yeah?"
"Did you and Nove have a mother?"
Wendi frowned and scratched the back of her neck. "No one I can remember," she confessed. "The Doctor kind of created us this way from day one, so we never really had a childhood or anything. We just grew up with our sisters, whichever ones we saw." She was thankful that Cinque and Sein had spent the most time with them. If they had spent more time around Tre, or worse, Quattro, well, Wendi wasn't sure just HOW she would have turned out.
Subaru watched Nove go. "I wonder..."
Wendi caught on a moment later. "You think she might be a little depressed because Nanoha and Fate are pregnant?"
"Maybe..." Subaru wasn't completely sure about that, it seemed more likely that she was depressed over something.
"You know, Subaru..." Wendi's voice cut into her thoughts, causing the blue-haired girl to blink several times.
"Huh?"
"Someone said that you and Nove look a bit alike." Wendi didn't see it, herself, considering the eye and hair color.
"Really? I don't see it." She scratched her head. "Why would people think that?"
Wendi nodded, giving a light laugh at that thought. "Yeah. Maybe if her hair was blue or purple I could see it."
Subaru shook her head before frowning lightly. "I don't think that it's because Nanoha-san and Fate-san are pregnant... I think... I think she's just depressed because she... Well, she never had a mother."
Wendi blinked and her eyes widened. "Oh..."
"I mean... for a few years, Ginga and I had Mom, and even when she died, Dad was always around. Nove's never really had that."
Wendi stopped after a few feet, her eyes widening. "I think..."
"Hmm?"
"Nove might be jealous."
Subaru blinked several times in confusion as Wendi nodded. "She's depressed because everyone's so happy about what's going to happen to Nanoha and Fate... But she's also a little bit jealous of you and Ginga, not to mention Vivio..."
"I never thought of it like that... So... What should we do?"
"I... Didn't think that far ahead." Wendi muttered, slumping slightly.
Subaru frowned, watching Nove walk; she couldn't help it, she wanted to help. "I don't think she'd just accept if we said we love her..."
Wendi laughed. "Hell no. She'd bite your head off."
"Maybe we can have someone talk to her... someone a little bit older, like Fate-san. Or maybe Lindy-san. To... you know, explain things."
Wendi blinked a few times as she thought about it. "I think Lindy-san might be better for it than Fate-san. Fate-san might know how to raise children, but she's about our age, Lindy-san's raised her and Chrono-san after all." Besides that, Nove tended to relax more around older people than she did normally.
Subaru nodded and smiled lightly. "Yeah. I'll make the call, go keep Nove busy."
"Aye aye!" Wendi mock-saluted and ran up to Nove, getting her attention quickly enough.
Subaru smiled and called up a portable communication screen, she smiled as Lindy came onto the screen quickly enough. "Subaru... Why, I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you?"
"Hi, Lindy-san." Subaru couldn't help smiling. "Are you busy right now?"
Lindy thought of her ongoing battle with the higher-ups and chose to keep her mouth shut. "In a matter of speaking. Why? Is something wrong?"
Subaru hesitated; she knew Nove would probably get mad, but still... "I..."
"Yes?"
"I kind of... can you talk to Nove?"
"Nove?" Lindy blinked as she thought about it. "Oh yes! Your redheaded look-a-like."
Subaru sweat-dropped. "Uh... I still don't see how we look alike."
Lindy laughed at the confused look on Subaru's face. "Talk to her? About what?"
"Um... Well... Um... Nove never really had a mother and... I think she's both jealous and depressed because of what's going on with Fate-san and Nanoha-san and... Well... I think she needs a mother-figure to talk to."
Lindy nodded slowly. "You're right. When would you like her to visit?"
Subaru blinked. "So soon?"
Lindy laughed. "The sooner the better, in my opinion."
Subaru smiled at her. "Thank you, Lindy-san. I think I can get her over after supper tonight." It was starting to get late in the afternoon and she hadn't had a supper with her whole family in a long time.
"Of course." Lindy smiled at her as they hung up after finalizing details.
(---)
Several hours later, after an intense argument and an even more intense guilt trip from Wendi, Nove found herself standing outside of Lindy's house.
From inside she could hear voices and laughter, indicating Lindy wasn't alone. For a moment, she wondered if she could still run.
But Wendi had said that if she didn't do this, she was a coward. And dammit, Nove was no coward.
Gathering herself, Nove knocked on the door.
She blinked as a brown-haired woman opened the door. "Nove!" The woman smiled and opened the door fully. "Lindy was just saying that she was hoping to see you tonight."
"She was?" Nove blinked, that wasn't exactly the reaction that she had been expecting.
"Oh yes. Come in! Come in!" The woman grabbed her by her arm and practically yanked her inside. The woman was pretty strong considering her build. Or maybe that was because she was just excited? Nove wasn't sure.
As Nove was dragged into the kitchen, she blinked at seeing Lindy, wearing a nice blue shirt and white pants sitting at the table. "Um, I was told you wanted to see me?"
"Yes." Lindy smiled and motioned for the brown-haired woman to leave. "Amy, shoo. I think I hear Nanoha asking for another scoop of ice cream."
Amy pouted at that, but left easily enough; and Nove was in awe of the woman in front of her just with that simple gesture.
"How did you..."
"The advantage of being both her mother-in-law and her former commanding officer."
"Oh..." Nove sat down at the table and squirmed lightly as Lindy smiled at her. "Umm..."
"Nove, Subaru told me that you were upset about something."
Nove twitched, why did Subaru need to get involved like that?
"I don't know what it is, I don't know why... But... I'd like to help if I can."
Nove scowled, slumping slightly in her chair. "It's nothing important," she muttered. "Subaru never should have even said anything."
Lindy studied the woman quietly for a moment before she spoke again. "Nove, Subaru reached out to me because she's worried about you. You're hurting, and because you are, she's hurting too. She wanted to help."
"Why should she? Just because it was either her father or the church to take me in? I was slightly out of it when I was napping and I thought she looked like my mother for some reason." Nove still couldn't believe that she made such a mistake. "Everyone's getting so happy because Nanoha-san and Fate-san are going to have children and I can't see why everyone's getting so worked up about it."
Nove gripped her pant legs tightly and Lindy could see that the younger girl was holding back something major. "Nove?"
"Maybe I was right... I really can't feel anything most of the time." Nove looked down, not daring to meet the older woman's eyes. "Maybe I was just a mistake that was made and I don't really belong here?"
There was a moment of silence; finally, Lindy sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Nove..."
Nove blinked, looking up.
"You sound so much like Fate right now that it makes me want to bang my head against a desk."
"Huh?" Admittedly, Nove didn't really know Fate all that well, but from the few times she had met the blond Enforcer, she had seen a woman that had been very confident and sure of herself. "I... I don't understand."
Lindy sighed again. "You already know the basics, right, Nove? That Fate was created by Precia as a clone of her dead daughter Alicia, and that Precia despised Fate and abused her."
Nove nodded slowly; she couldn't see where Lindy was going with this.
"I adopted Fate right after the whole incident with the Jewel Seeds. She didn't think she had the right to exist, the right to have a family and friends, the right to be loved... none of it." Lindy gazed quietly into the air, contemplating. "It took Chrono and I a long, long time to snap her out of it. Whenever she was scared, she'd sneak into my bed and lie beside me as stiff as a board, waiting for me to hit her because that's what Precia would have done if Fate had ever shown her fear."
Lindy shook her head and sighed. "All I could do for her was be there and hold her, letting her know that she could be loved. And, you, Nove... You're falling down that path right now. Do you honestly think that your sisters don't care about you?"
Biting her lip softly, Nove shook her head. "I... They wouldn't have gotten me to come over here if they weren't worried about me."
"Do you think yourself worthless?" Seeing her go quiet, Lindy stood up and walked to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Or is it something else?"
"Lindy-san... I..." Nove trembled and gripped her pants. "I... I guess... I... I just never had a mother... And... It kinda... Hurts... When I see other children with their mothers... And... I feel like I should have one... But... I don't know why."
Lindy's eyes softened. "Every child deserves a mother, Nove. Sadly, the world works in such a way that sometimes many of them don't have one. Fate was abused by her so-called mother, Lutecia was manipulated to save her mother, and Ginga and Subaru both lost Quint at a young age..."
Nove looked at her pants for a minute. "Lindy-san..."
"Yes?"
"Do you know how Subaru's mother died?"
Lindy blinked; she smiled sadly. "Quint died on the same mission that killed Zest and took Megane away from Lutecia."
"So... she died fighting the Doctor."
"Yes. She did."
"Then... It... It's our fau..."
"Stop it." Lindy grabbed both of the younger girl's shoulders, causing the cyborg to look up at her in surprise. "You weren't there," at least from what she had read in those reports that had gone around, "you had nothing to do with Quint dying."
"But... How can Subaru..."
Lindy shook her head. "If we can't forgive people for making mistakes due to following orders or listening to people who lied to them, then I would never had adopted Fate. Hayate, you know her?" Seeing Nove nod slowly, Lindy smiled. "She and her Knights are still considered criminals by some people due to events that happened ten years ago. And despite that, she's had one of the fastest growing careers in the TSA. Cinque, you, your sisters all made mistakes, you admitted it and are working to try and fix it, aren't you?"
"But..." Nove closed her eyes. "I still... I still feel angry about it, though. About Subaru hurting Cinque-nee..."
Lindy blinked. "Well, Nove, didn't you hurt Ginga?"
Nove was silent but nodded silently. She could still feel the pain in her arm from those attacks Subaru landed, even through her shield.
Lindy smiled softly at her. "And with how you felt... Imagine how she had to feel when she saw Ginga laying there."
"..." Nove didn't say anything, but she trembled. "...Why?" She whispered out hoarsely. "Why does she care so much?"
Lindy chuckled softly. "Subaru is very much like Nanoha. She's kind to a fault, and will always be quick to defend someone else; even if she was hurt by that person in the past. She isn't the type to hold a grude."
Nove stared at the floor.
"In fact, Nove... you'll find very few people blame you for what happened."
"Maybe..."
"Maybe?" Lindy blinked as Nove was silent, but she caught a glimpse of something in her eyes as she glanced away. "Nove... Do you blame yourself for what happened?"
Nove looked up, surprised. "Blame... myself?" She tested the words out, almost like they were a foreign thought in her mind.
"Nove, you're incredibly strong, a very good fighter, and yet you and Cinque both got hurt back then." Lindy could see her flinching with each word, but she had to continue on. "But, now that you have choices and can see what you did... You hate yourself because of what you did."
Nove looked like she wanted to say something, anything to refute it, but she couldn't. Each word was like getting hit by Subaru's punches again.
"You encountered Ginga while carrying out a mission for Jail." Lindy kept talking, her voice calm. "For all intents and purposes, you had no reason to attack her, much less to injure her as badly as you did. At the time you accepted it, but now that you've had time to think..."
"It was orders! She was damn strong, too!!"
"I know. That's why no one blames you for what you did."
"But..."
Lindy smiled softly. "You are so much like my daughter that it's scary."
"What?"
"Fate... She was ordered by Precia to find the Jewel Seeds... And she hated what she did, what she nearly did to Nanoha, to Chrono and to her familiar."
"But..." Nove blinked as Lindy shook her head.
"She's recovered from it, but she was a broken, sad and scared little girl when I adopted her. Looking at you, Nove... I honestly think the only reason that you aren't like her by now is simply because of Genya and your sisters."
Nove blinked. "Fate... Fate doubted herself that much? That's impossible, she's an awesome mother to Erio, Caro, and Vivio, and Nanoha and Yuuno adore her!" Granted, now that Nove thought about what Lindy had said earlier, she could guess that Fate hadn't always been quite as strong as she was now.
Lindy gave her a small smile at her confused look. "Yes, she is an incredible mother to those three. There have been times that she's called me and asked me questions because she doubted herself and her choices for Caro and Erio."
"R...Really?"
Lindy nodded. "Yes... Despite how confident she is on the battle field, Fate is... Well, rather self-conscious of things around her." It was why she got so easily embarrassed from Nanoha's light teasing of her.
"But... I'm not her... I can't be her... She had a mother..."
"Fate didn't have a mother, Nove." Lindy's eyes darkened. "Not for a long, long time."
"I... I see..." She really had no idea that Fate had suffered as hard as she had. "I guess... I was just being stupid, huh?"
Lindy laughed. "Being stupid isn't a crime, Nove."
Nove nodded slowly, tightening her grip on her pants. Even as she continued to look down, she felt her eyes beginning to sting.
"Nove?"
"Why? Why can you and everyone else treat me like a person so easily?" Her shoulders shook as she tried to keep herself from letting go. "I hurt so many people, it might have been under orders but I... I didn't mind it! How can anyone forgive someone like me?" Her eyes widened as she felt two arms wrap around her body and hold her gently. "L...Lindy-san?"
"You feel it now, don't you?" Lindy's voice was soft.
"Y-Yes, but..."
"That's why people can forgive you, Nove. Because you know what you did was wrong, and you feel guilty about it. It's normal."
Feeling her tremble in her arms, Lindy rubbed her back. "Does it hurt, Nove?" Feeling her squirm lightly, Lindy rocked back and forth slowly. "Does it hurt to hold it in?" She didn't get a verbal answer, but she felt Nove nod. "Let it out... It's okay..."
"But... I..."
"Everyone needs to lean on someone else occasionally, I won't tell anyone."
That seemed to do it as Nove finally gave up and buried her face into Lindy's chest, tears falling down her face as sobs wracked her body.
Lindy held her gently, letting her cry. She didn't say anything, simply rocked and rubbed her back. She knew that at times like this, words wouldn't help anyway.
And maybe, just maybe Nove would be able to let the past go, if even for a little bit.
Spoiler for Notes:
The real reason that Wendi and Subaru don't see Nove as someone that looks like Subaru is because of the hair and eyes, that's all. That's partly because, well, I've got two younger half brothers. I can say that I don't think that we look alike at all. And yet some people who have met my younger brother and never met me before will come up to me and go "are you related to this person?" It's weird, I honestly don't think I look like him, or he looks like me. *Shrug*
As for Nove... Wasn't trying to make her Emo. Hope we succeeded with that at least. She's just trying to deal with her own problems and she let it build up a bit too much, that's all.
Hope you guys enjoyed this one.
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
And now, since I'm on a roll with awesome pairings, have some Suzuka/Arisa!!
Spoiler for Arisa/Suzuka:
Nanoha smiled to herself as the cool air Arisa's business lobby brushed across her. The sliding glass doors slid closed behind her and she walked across the white tile floor to the receptionist who was currently on the phone. 'I wonder what was so important that she asked me to come visit her as soon as I could?' Her clear blue eyes looked up at the ceiling a moment while giving the woman behind the desk time to finish the phone call. 'She normally gives me at least a few months notice for reunions. I hope no one is hurt or anything...'
"Can I help you?" The woman finally addressed Nanoha
"I'm here to see Arisa." Nanoha told her polity.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No ma'am, I'm her friend, she asked me to stop by." She got an odd look. "No, really, we grew up together. My name's Nanoha Takamachi, could you page her?"
"I'm sorry, she has asked not to be disturbed. I can't allow you in without an appointment."
Nanoha sighed. "Please, could you just page her and say my name-"
"I'm sorry, please make an appointment. I can pencil you in but it will have to be next week in the afternoon."
Nanoha groaned. "I can only stay for the night, I have to get back to base." Taking out her military ID, she showed the lady. "I don't have time to-"
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Nanoha almost fell over, realizing it was in a different language. "I'm sorry, just-"
"Please leave if you are not going to make an appointment."
The normally calm girl placed both hands on the desk. "Now see here!"
Calmly picking up the phone, the secretary pushed a button. "Security? I have someone here who refuses to leave... thank you."
Nanoha growled, turning and walking to the elevator and pushing the top floor button where she knew Arisa's office was. A few demands for her to return were ignored and by the time two rent-a-cops came around the corner, the doors closed and she was on her way up.
'Stupid lazy intern.' Nanoha thought bitterly. 'I have to pull every single favor I can to just be able to get here for twelve hours and she wastes my time...' As the doors opened, she trotted to the office door that held Arisa's name on a golden frame and knocked on it.
"Who is it?" An annoyed voice greeted her through the intercom.
Nanoha couldn't help but smile. "House keeping, I'm here to fluff your pillow."
"...What?"
"I'm here to fluff your pillow! You know, a little bit of this, maybe a little bit of that"
"... Nanoha?"
"Hi Arisa-chan! I came to- oh man, security is here, please tell them that I'm your friend." Before she could continue she turned to the people and put a hand on her hip. "I'm telling you, leave me alone."
"Miss, come with me." Reaching over, he grabbed Nanoha's shoulder hard, jerking her forward.
Reflex took over and Nanoha shifted her weight, grabbing the man's wrist and slinging him over her shoulder. Her sharp eyes noticed the other man reaching for pepper spray so she lashed her foot out, knocking his hand away before continuing her spin and round housing him.
Arisa opened the door quickly, looking in shock as two of her employees were scrambling to get up. "Nanoha, what the-?"
"He grabbed me," she sniffed. "I didn't mean to, it just... I'm sorry, I just got off a really hard mission and I'm a little jumpy from it..." She bowed to the men from behind Arisa. "I'm sorry.
"She's military, and my best friend," Arisa told them sternly. "Apologize to her."
The two men looked like whipped puppies. "S-sorry miss..."
Turning, Arisa ushered Nanoha inside her office. "I'm so glad you could come! I need you so bad right now..."
"What's wrong?" Closing the door behind herself, Nanoha walked into the large office, glancing around at the decorations that made her remember just how much of a tsundare Arisa really was.
"I need your help!" The blonde suddenly shouted.
"Wha...what...?"
"How did..." Looking down, she suddenly became embarrassed. "How did... you propose to Fate?"
A slow smile steadily crept up on Nanoha's lips, making Arisa turn and glare at the floor, cheeks burning.
*Reads* *Enjoys Teh rare pokemon* ;_; Sata I love you *clings to Arisa*
Another session between myself and RadiantBeam (which will most likely be slowing down with her in school and myself going back to work night shifts) is done. Yes, this is also part of the "Relationships" series.
This one... Kinda got away on us.
This is our longest one yet.
Nove, Wendi and Subaru get some time to shine.
Especially Nove.
Chapter 3 of "Day in the Life" is titled...
"Nakajima"
Spoiler for Nakajima:
*snip*
Spoiler for Notes:
The real reason that Wendi and Subaru don't see Nove as someone that looks like Subaru is because of the hair and eyes, that's all. That's partly because, well, I've got two younger half brothers. I can say that I don't think that we look alike at all. And yet some people who have met my younger brother and never met me before will come up to me and go "are you related to this person?" It's weird, I honestly don't think I look like him, or he looks like me. *Shrug*
As for Nove... Wasn't trying to make her Emo. Hope we succeeded with that at least. She's just trying to deal with her own problems and she let it build up a bit too much, that's all.
Hope you guys enjoyed this one.
Spoiler for You guys >__>:
The Nakajima family sat around the kitchen table eating their meal in the happy manner which a family of six did, except for Nove, 'cause she was emo.
Cinque prodded Nove, "Oi Nove."
Nove snapped around, nearly biting off the head of the shortest Number, "I HAVE EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE OKAY!"
Cinque winked, "Ha? I just wanted the salt."
By the way... there was a throwaway line in there... if you should go the way of Magical Babysitter Lyrical Nove... can I come too?
Zafira: Ah and don't forget to give them warm milk before bed
Nove: YES! Zafira-sensei!
2009-08-28, 10:49
Author
Really, Arisa, you should have at least made a note that Nanoha was coming for them.
